The Shotgun Start

It is an all-time Victory Monday at the Shotgun Start, where a member of the podcast can truly celebrate a world championship. PJ Clark sat down for this episode after being awake for 36 straight hours, roaming the celebratory streets of New York like a nomad. PJ details his evening around Manhattan and the emotions of watching his Knicks win the championship. Then Brendan and Joseph turn to the golf in Canada, where Bud Cauley got his first PGA Tour win after turning pro some 16 years and many, many health issues prior. The Cauley round and story are given its due on a Tour that is increasingly difficult to win on in 2026. There’s also some great delight in Tosti getting in the mix with what may be the highlight clip of the year so far. They discuss Brooks Koepka’s injury with some concern and melancholy. On early U.S. Open chatter, the three discuss some juicy early weather reports and how the USGA could get into any trouble again at Shinnecock and if the past will have fans approaching the week with some level of bloodlust. Zach Johnson’s “dreams” being realized with a Champions Tour win are also discussed, as well as a medical exemption dilemma, the Curtis Cup, Juli Inskter bursting through the Cochran zone, and much more.

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We are four wide on this busy Friday with a lot of news to discuss as the week closes before the U.S. Open. Brendan is joined by KVV, Joseph, and PJ. They begin with the Golf Digest report on allegations against Phil Mickelson of nonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact with a female employee at his home club that led to his removal from said club. They discuss the late stage spiral of Phil, and the seriousness of this now most recent allegation, the mess he’s made of his career, what could have been, and what will never be now. Then they get into a spate of LIV news from reports on the future of its remaining four events in the Financial Times, to a report on confusion about the contracts for players like Jon Rahm, to one more about the Australian Open perhaps becoming the “death knell” of LIV’s reimagined plans. Joseph brings some provocative comments about the TPC Toronto test for the Canadian Open and the PGA Tour putting bumpers up for the highest level of pro golf. KVV has a Flashback segment on a former rules kerfuffle at a U.S. Open that had players tweeting angrily all through the evening. Then they close with a wide-ranging PJ minute on the Knicks, an all time win, and an all time rant about Carmelo’s place in franchise lore.

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PJ is off playing the 100 Hole Hike (Donate Here!), leaving Andy and Brendan to fend for themselves on this Wednesday edition of SGS. So it begins with a rambling first 10 minutes on the World Cup, Knicks, Kramer Hikock, the Bears moving to Indiana, and much more. Eventually, they get to “Golf’s Longest Day” and the multitude of stories that emerged from final qualifying for the U.S. Open, including Charlie Woods “carrying” the young phenom Miles Russell to Shinnecock. Event of the Week honors had a crowded field to chose from between a national open in Canada, the Curtis Cup, and a Champs tour stop at Wakonda Club in Iowa. LIV heading to CNBC for a pitch, with minimal leverage, and an unclear future, is assessed as a strategy play. Lastly, news covers the PGA Tour officially partnering with the Australian Open and what that means for a global tour. The death of the Rocket Classic in Detroit is also discussed, leading to a few ideas for how the new Track 1 and Track 2 schedule might operate and survive.
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After a "fabulous golf weekend," Andy and Brendan return to recap the best-case scenario unfolding at the U.S. Women's Open and a marathon Sunday at Jack's Place that ended up in yet another playoff finish. They begin with Nelly Korda's win at Riviera, her first U.S. Open title and another leg down on both the Career Grand Slam and Career Super Slam. The two are joined by former LPGA caddie Matthew Galloway to break down the weekend and what this monumental win could mean for women's golf moving forward. They discuss how to improve the broadcast experience on NBC as well as the impressive list of future host courses for the U.S. Women's Open. Andy and Brendan then move on to the Memorial, where The Postman delivered on Sunday! J.T. Poston took down Ryan Gerard in a Sunday playoff after playing 33 holes due to a rain-shortened Saturday round. Poston's win and Gerard's continued 2026 emergence are propped up as evidence that the Signature Event model is working as intended, with both Andy and Brendan criticizing the idea of "Track 2" players not being able to play their way into "Track 1" events on the new PGA Tour schedule. They also discuss Scottie Scheffler at length following a now-viral interaction with Ted Scott on Thursday afternoon and another disappointing finish at perhaps his best course-fit on Tour. PJ pops in to share that Ben Crane has FINALLY won on the Champions Tour, solidifying the quality reporting that he and Andy did earlier this year. Andy and Brendan also pepper PJ with questions about his upcoming 100 Hole Hike on Tuesday and how he's planning to survive the marathon day while staying sane while the Knicks have a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.

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Ahead of the the national championship's return to Shinnecock Hills in two weeks, Andy, Brendan, and Kevin Van Valkenburg continue their rewatch of the 1986 majors with a Flashback Friday on Raymond Floyd's U.S. Open win. The three share their favorite moments from Sunday's round, available for viewing on the USGA's YouTube Channel. They discuss the main stars of the day, including Floyd, Greg Norman, and Lee Trevino, and give some takes on the ABC broadcast itself. In a new add to these major rewatch episodes, Andy, Brendan, and KVV hand out awards such as "The Patrick Cantlay Housecat of the Week" and "The Tommy Fleetwood Memorial Yellow Square" to players who deserved some recognition for their efforts 40 years ago. Kevin sends this episode off with some detailed research about Raymond Floyd's off-the-course business ventures, including the management of a first-of-its-kind band in the United States!

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